


Right of Passage

by amuk



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Coming of Age, Community: 31_days, Fear, Gen, Growing Up, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-23
Packaged: 2017-11-26 13:56:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/651210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amuk/pseuds/amuk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is something different about him (them). She can't put a finger on it, but she knows it all the same and it scares her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Right of Passage

**Author's Note:**

> Set after the TYL arc, from Nana's perspective.
> 
> Day / Theme: January 4th // a noise in the schools

When he comes back (when they all come back), something is different. She doesn't notice it at night (caught between the hugs and kisses and _never go out of my sight again_ s) but the next morning she does. Tsuna walks a little straighter when he leaves, his steps slightly louder. There is nothing shy or scared or hesitant about that and when he waves goodbye, he doesn't look back at her with a nervous grin on his face.

 

She watches him walk down the street, not turning back once, and something in her aches.

-x-

  
She gets a call later from the guidance counselor--a pretentious man who doesn't get to the point till the end.

 

"Anything wrong with your son lately? Any problems? You can tell me--I've heard them all."

 

"No-none," she stutters, a little nervous. Her son hasn't been called about before.

 

Maybe he was planning something that morning.

 

"Any hearing problems? Any deaths? Any gangs?"

 

"Eh? No! What...what did he do?" She's almost afraid to hear.

 

"Before we get to that, a few more questions. Have you had a  new boyfriend? Divorced your husband?"

 

This goes on for about twenty minutes before he finally tells her what happened. She doesn't think it was worth all those questions.

 

"He and a few other classmates have been jumping at every loud bang they hear."

 

"Oh."

 

And she almost recalls her husband those first few days. Almost but refuses because Tsuna is her never-do-well-son, her baby boy who is too afraid to do anything new.

-x-

  
It reaches a point where she thinks that maybe he isn't her son. His eyes are confident, proud, and they stare her straight on when he talks. He still has some of his old habits--still cries when Reborn teaches him, still gets dragged unwillingly away when his friends come to get him.

 

Only, he doesn't protest as much as he used to. It looks like he's doing it for pretenses, for old time's sake.

 

She doesn't know what to do with _any_ of them anymore. Her son isn't the only one who changed--his friends have too. Some are more cocky, swaggering around as though they are victors in some long-fought battle. Some are braver, stronger, humbler--she can't deny the physical changes too. The muscle that now sits on their bodies is visibly obvious and the bony feel of Tsuna's arm is still in her hand.

 

It's almost as though they haven't eaten a proper meal in days.

 

It scares her. Maybe this is like a sci-fi movie, _The Body Snatchers_ , only it's her son and his friends.

 

"Mom?"

 

Jolting out of her thoughts, she looks to see her son staring at her.

 

"You ok?"

 

"Yeah," she croaks out,  not sure if she should confront him. Maybe this is a phase. Maybe this is a dream. She doesn't know what to do--nothing feels right or safe.

 

She wishes her husband was here to help.

 

"Good." He gives her a smile that's pure Tsuna and she blinks for a moment.

 

"Yeah," she whispers for a moment.

 

Then again, she thinks to herself, maybe her little boy has finally grown up.


End file.
